This team has struggled with injuries and inconsistency all season long. And the worst part is that they don’t have appealing assets to make big trades before the deadline.

Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean they cannot pursue a lesser and more realistic target to give LeBron James a helping hand. With that in mind, Dave McMenamin of ESPN reports that they’re keeping tabs on two mid-level point guards.

Lakers Keeping An Eye On Tyus Jones And Collin Sexton

“You’re looking at the Lakers surveying the market for point guard help and one guy you can look at is certainly Tyus Jones with the Washington Wizards,” McMenamin reported. “He’s 27 years old, he’s highly efficient, fifty two percent from the field, 42 percent from three. He’s on a $14 million expiring contract, and we’ve seen the Wizards are not necessarily competitive right now with the group that they have so perhaps they would be looking for some sort of future assets if the Lakers can bring that guy in right now.”

Jones might not be a star, but he’s elite in terms of taking care of the basketball. He’s a sound playmaker who plays mistake-free hoops for the most part, and he should be easy to get on an expiring deal from a struggling team.

McMenamin also argues that the Lakers could make a run at fellow Klutch Sports client Collin Sexton, who’s taken his career back from the ground with the Utah Jazz:

“Another guy you look to is Collin Sexton,” the report continued. “25 year old, athletic, competitive, averages about 17 points and four assists a game. More of a combo guard but certainly someone that has ties to the Lakers in the sense that his agent Rich Paul represents LeBron James and Anthony Davis.”

The Lakers might not be able to make a big splash, but sometimes, all it takes is some minor tweaks to get the ship back on its course, and this could be the case for Darvin Ham’s team.

But Pat Riley has still put together quite a competitive roster. They made the NBA Finals just a couple of seasons ago, and it seems like they’re just one big name away from reaching the ultimate stage again.

That’s why the Heat have been actively pursuing multiple names in trades during the offseasonand why they might be quite aggressive trying to land Collin Sexton of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

NBA Rumors: Miami Heat Could Trade For Collin Sexton

“I had kept hearing, ‘Pat Riley likes Collin Sexton. Pat Riley likes Sexton,’ from one person that I trust who knows things,” NBA insider Jake Fischer said on ‘The Wine & Gold Talk’ podcast.

Sexton is eligible to sign a max contract extension, but he’s coming off a major injury and the Cavs want to build around Darius Garland and Evan Mobley and seem unwilling to meet his asking price. So, a sign-and-trade could be the likeliest scenario here:

“I’m told that it is close to $40 million in total money,” Cavs insider Chris Fedor said, per Fadeaway World. “So think of like a three-year, $40 million deal. It’s way less than what Collin initially wanted. I don’t know that it’s the kind of deal that Collin and his camp would be willing to take.”

Heat Are Looking For Other Stars

Nonetheless, it’s also worth noting that the Heat are in the mix for both Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell, so it’s unlikely that they go after Sexton unless they miss the boat on both of those stars.

Sexton is a former top-10 pick coming off the best season of his career. He’s still young and could be a 20+ ppg scorer for years to come. But he comes with big risks due to alleged character issues, not to mention the knee injury he suffered mid-season.

This list is based onthe future of player, what’s his background and the possibilty to move to another NBA Franchise. Although this list doesn’t include Miles Bridges, for example. This due to his obvious off-court problems, although he was a most-wanted free-agent during the last couple of weeks.

Also, the list doesn’t includeDwight Howard, Rajon Rondo andDeMarcus Cousin. This because it is most likely they will sign-and-trade or stay at their current franchises as there any better options available for both the player and their team on the market.

5 big names left in the NBA Free Agency

1. Collin Sexton

The Marrieta-born player is near a closing line with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although, he isn’t happy with the deal. this is the most likely move he will make on what’s left of the NBA Free Agency. Sexton averaged16points, 3rebounds and 2assists in 11 games in the 2021-22 NBA Season.

2.Montrezl Harrell

Harrell played for the Charlotte Hornets last season. And despite he had problems with the law lately, he is already playing at the Drew League. Therefore, he might be back to talks with many NBA franchises. The 2021 Sixth Man of the Year averaged13points, 6rebounds and 2 assists in 71 games in the 2021-22 NBA Season.

3.Dennis Schroder

The German player has been bouncing back and forth from NBA team to NBA team. Although, he had a good perfomance last season. He averagedaveraged 13points, 5assists and 3rebounds in 64 games in the 2021-22 NBA Season.

4.Blake Griffin

The Oklahoma-born player has been struggling with many factors lately. His injuries, his lack of minutes, his lack of intensity when he plays. In fact, he averaged6points, 4rebounds and 1assistin 56 games in the 2021-22 NBA Season. Not acceptable for a No.1 pick overall.

5. Carmelo Anthony

The New York City-bornplayer had a one-year-deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. In which he averaged13points, 4 rebounds and 1assistin 69 games in the 2021-22 NBA Season. It wasn’t bad but the overall team had a bad season. Theyare currently in seek of a trade for Kyrie Irving, but Anthony is not in question. It is still unclear if he is going to stay in Los Angeles.

That makes the first couple of days kind of overwhelming. We see dozens of deals happening left and right, and it’s hard to keep up with those many movements at times. Then, it all gets way too quiet while the rest of the dominoes continue to fall.

Kevin Durant’s trade request made plenty of teams and players pull the brakes on any negotiation. That’s why there’s still a handful of solid free agents that could suit any contending team.

NBA Rumors: The 3 Best Available Free Agents

3. Dennis Schroder

A full year has gone by, and Dennis Schroder still has to deal with all the jokes about how he ‘fumbled the bag.’ That’s why he’s not going to take a discount ever again unless he gets a real shot to win an NBA championship.

Schroder is one of the best backup point guards in the league. He can give you a nightly 17 with 7 dimes and even step up to the starting lineup if need be. Once the Durant situation is settled, he’ll be one of the names to keep an eye on.

2. Collin Sexton

Collin Sexton’s situation is complicated. On the one hand, the Cleveland Cavaliers don’t want to commit five years and $100 million+ on a player coming off a major injury. On the other, they can’t afford to just let him walk for free.

Sexton was supposed to gauge plenty of interest in free agency before suffering a season-ending injury. But he’s still young and was playing the best basketball of his career before it, so he could be on any contending team’s radar right now.

1. Miles Bridges

There’s a strong chance Miles Bridges doesn’t set foot on an NBA hardwood ever again. He allegedly beat up his girlfriend, and the videos and pics are quite horrifying. Also, his off-court behavior raised several questions even before that scandal.

But unfortunately, we’ve seen major sports teams look the other way on these issues way too often. If that’s the case, then Bridges will get a big payday and continue his ascent after posting the best numbers of his career last season.

This year won’t be the exception to that rule. Moreover, the restricted free agent class is set to be one of the most interesting we’ve seen in years, as multiple players may find a bigger payday somewhere else.

That means that their teams would either be forced to match their offers, let them go for free, or work out a sign-and-trade deal. With that in mind, let’s take a look at three young restricted free agents who may leave their teams in the offseason.

NBA Rumors: 3 Young Stars That Could Change Teams This Summer

3. Deandre Ayton

Deandre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns just aren’t on the same page. Monty Williams doesn’t trust him down the stretch, and the organization doesn’t think of him as a max-contract kind of player. But he’ll still draw plenty of interest in the open market.

The former first-overall pickmade great strides as a defender and has already proven that he can be a 20+ point per game scorer while pulling down 10+ boards a night. He’s young, athletic, and the Suns will likely be forced to sign and trade him.

2. Miles Bridges

Miles Bridges broke out as a scorer last season. His chemistry with LaMelo Ball is evident, and he could turn out to be one of the best two-way players in the league if given more touches on the offensive end of the floor.

However, the Charlotte Hornets aren’t sure about his status as a max-contract kind of guy, especially after some off-court controversies. Bridges will still gauge league-wide interest, although whether someone will give him the max or not remains to be seen.

1. Collin Sexton

Collin Sexton was a trade candidate last season before suffering a knee injury. The Cleveland Cavaliers are committed to Darius Garland as their point guard for the future and still made the playoffs without Sexton, so they could look to move him.

Sexton was playing the best ball of his career and finally becoming an efficient scorer. He’s young and has plenty of upside, but his shot selection and the fact that he’s coming off a major injury may hurt his market value.

Tom Thibodeau’s team showed a lot of grittiness in the defensive end and found some nice rhythm in the offense. Then again, it was clear that they crave an upgrade at the point guard position and another scoring threat.

That’s why, according to multiple reports, they’re going to be one of the most aggressive suitors for Cleveland Cavaliers’ Collin Sexton, who’s expected to be moved this offseason and even before the NBA Draft.

NBA Rumors: Knicks Will Aggressively Pursue Collin Sexton

“The Knicks are the most aggressive trade suitor for Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton, sources said. Sexton is eligible for his rookie extension this offseason, and with one year left on his deal, it allows Cleveland to continue to be patient in constructing the roster,” reported Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The Knicks have enough cap space to give Sexton the contract extension he’s due after his rookie year expires, meaning that they would even be able to pursue other players even if they get him:

“The Knicks would likely have to give Sexton a similar contract extension if they acquired him, but getting him early would give them a major advantage this offseason. While Sexton is going to be expensive down the line, his cap hit for the 2021-22 season is only around $6.3 million,” added Sam Quinn of CBS Sports.

“The Knicks can create well over $50 million in cap space this offseason, and acquiring Sexton would hardly dent that flexibility. In fact, it would allow the Knicks to fill their biggest need without even touching their space, opening up some very interesting possibilities,” the report concluded.

What Can The Knicks Offer For Collin Sexton?

The Knicks have some promising players and Draft assets that could be on the table to get a player like Sexton. The Cavaliers are rebuilding and are expected to take either Jalen Suggs or Jalen Green in the upcoming Draft, meaning that he’d be the odd man out in the backcourt.

So, given what the Cavaliers need and what the Knicks have to offer, we can expect any package to be centered around sophomore forward Obi Toppin, Kevin Knox, and one of the Knicks’ first-round picks.

While Knox has been quite underwhelming – to say the least – he’s still pretty young and looked like one of the most talented players in his class. As for Toppin, he’s just not going to get enough minutes under Tom Thibodeau, but was one of the nation’s biggest sensations during his last year at Dayton.

Whether the Cavaliers will take this deal or not is yet to be seen, but what seems pretty clear at this point is that the Knicks will heavily pursue any available starting-caliber point guard this offseason.

Then again, he’s becoming infamous around the league for constantly going at the referees, whining after every no-call, and mishandling his emotions every time things don’t go his way on the court.

So, just a couple of days after vowing that he would stay in control, he was ejected with a flagrant two foul after punching Collin Sexton in the groin during his team’s clash with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Luka Doncic Says He Didn’t Mean To Hit Collin Sexton

Sexton bumped into Doncic while trying to box him out, so he responded by hitting him with a cheap shot in the groin. And even though it could be deemed a soft ejection, that was still unnecessary and uncalled for:

“After I saw the video, I knew I hit him, but it wasn’t nothing on purpose. I think that kind of stuff happens a lot in games, but I don’t know. That’s my explanation. It obviously wasn’t on purpose. It was just two guys fighting for a rebound, I guess,” the former Real Madrid star said after the game.

Luckily, the Mavericks didn’t need their best player to beat a tanking Cavaliers team but Doncic needs to know better. His team needs him out there to avoid the play-in tournament. Also, another technical foul would result in a one-game suspension.

Once again, no one can deny Doncic’s talent and impact but he needs to be in control of his emotions or he’s only going to hurt his team’s chances and get a bad reputation with the officials.